Budget Beansprout Stir-Fry

So, vegan on a budget. I’ve always been a scrimper when it comes to food shopping but since firing up my food blog I’ve started to put more of my pennies in to get the best culinary results out, so I thought it was about time I took myself back to basics and cooked up some cheap vegan food.

This recipe will serve 3, coming in at £1.75 a head. I worked out the price of each ingredient (which was a total nightmare by the way, I’m a dab hand in the kitchen but a maths genius I ain’t) by calculating how much of it would be used, so the full price of, for example, hoisin sauce, would probably hike that total up. All costs are based on Sainsbury’s.

I finish work every day at 6pm, so I usually hit the supermarket at around 7. Supermarkets in the evening are like goldmines, and I love hitting the bargain bucket in the veg aisle on the hunt for ingredients that are going out of date that day for a spontaneous supper. The nearly-out-of-date section isn’t just great for cheap dinner, it’s also a good spot to keep an eye on if you’re an avid jam maker, who could say no to a huge punnet of raspberries for 29p! So that’s my top tip, hit the shops in the evening and look out for those yellow labels!

Put a high heat under a heavy set pan, drizzle with a little oil (toasted sesame if you have it) and throw the chilli, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and kale in there. Keep everything moving all the time.

Once the mushrooms are basically cooked and nicely browned, add the beansprouts and cook for 5-6 minutes, always stirring!

Separate the noodles slightly with your hands and throw them in to the mix too, then using scissors chop the spring onions in.

After a couple of minutes or once the noodles are cooked through, stir the hoisin through until its all warmed up.

Serve in bowls and eat with chopsticks if you dare (I don’t).

If you’ve got a taste for cheap and cheerful tips, you might just find what you’re looking for in this blog post from giffgaff. Your track recommendation for this recipe is from Pulp, because only common people have to cook budget meals (my links are getting better and better, right?)

I love bagging a bargain, especially as my local is Waitrose. I always have to be careful that I don’t trick myself into buying more than I should…”Ooooo! Smoked salmon with £1 off?! Buy it!”…yes, but it’s still £5!